Driver issues (Same old story)

[CHRIS509]

Driver help,

 

My general back ground is i'm 52 scratch player with a ss of around 104, my ball striking is pretty good and at the moment I think I get pretty much 95% out of my shots, driver carry around 240-250 max.

 

My problem is it doesn't matter what head shaft combo I use I always get 17-19 degree launch and in the mid 3000's spin.

 

I don't think I have a Neg AO (I take very shallow divots with my irons) and I tee the ball up with my driver? So what gives if I could only change one thing it would be the spin rate.

 

I know it's difficult without seeing my motion but any help, ideas, personal experience would be appreciated.

 

Cheers Chris

[Stuart_G]

You said "[i]it doesn't matter what head shaft combo I use[/i]" but what about loft? What lofts have you tried or where you saying different heads of the same loft don't matter or just different shafts with a single head?

If my memory serves me (my SS is the same) that launch seems a little high for optimal conditions w/ that swing speed. I think you'd want it down to the 12-14* range and a decrease in loft generally will also bring down the spin as well.

With both high launch and spin, I also would not think neg AOA would be the problem (neg AOA usually results in lower launch w/ high spin) but then it's always nice to get confirmation from a good LM.

[CHRIS509]

Thanks Stuart you make a good point but all of my last 5 drivers have been 8.5's. My last 2 have been Ping G20 with an Oban dev and my gamer TM superfast 1.0 TP 8.5 with an Ahina, both stiff. I even launched a superdeep 8.5 in the 18's didn't like it anyway.
I've thourght about going with a heavier shaft but i "really" don't like the feel/ weight of them.

I'm really stumped

[Stuart_G]

Well if you're playing 8.5 and getting that launch and spin, then you definitely don't have a neg AOA problem :-)

It also doesn't really mean that the loft still isn't too high for that swing - just that you'll have a heck of a time finding anything lower :-)

Proper weight fitting (in my opinion) is all about feel, not flight. One could see some different flight patterns but it is generally an indirect effect due to the weight change resulting in swing changes and not predictable at all.

Sorry, the only other thing I can think of is having some one (pro) take a real close look at the swing. There could be something there that's causing a high dynamic loft. I don't think any shaft change is going to help (as you've already found out).

[CHRIS509]

As you might have gatherd i've thought about this alot the only thing i can think of is i might, just might be flipping!!!!! I do think my mechanic's are pretty good but this would increase the loft at impact?

I need to find a super fast camera and have a look.

Cheers.

[Stuart_G]

Well, logic says if it's not the equipment, it's got to be the swing :-)

And assuming that you're squaring up the face and relatively straight with the club (being scratch), the only real way I can think of to increase dynamic loft with what appears to be a pos AOA, is getting the club head in front of the hands on contact. Have you tried lowering the tee a little and moving it back in your stance?

There are some relatively inexpensive ($200-300 range) point-and-shoot cameras that can do 120-240 fps video from Casio, Nikon, and Cannon.

Good luck.

[CHRIS509]

Hi

A little update, got my self the lowest spinning combo i can find Ping Anser 8.5 with the Ahina in it.
Now if that doesn't help it's a swing issue, but as ive said at 52 1/2 i'm a little old to be changing to much.

Cross fingers i think.

[Stuart_G]

Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

[CHRIS509]

Update,

Played few rounds with the Anser can't say it's longer,I've been playing from similar position on my home course but have noticed on a few occasions that I've had some good bounce on landing, a good sign, and great news for us here in the UK. In general the flights been a smidgen lower but I also have had a session with my coach working on some small but significant changes and at this point all is good in my world having shot 71,70 & 74 for my last 3.

Thanks for your feed back, Cheers Chris

[PaulBoy]

Hi Chris ... Fellow UK GolfWRX'r here! - I am 55 & although not in your league handicap-wise (5) I do have a similar ss (105) - I hit the ball quite hard off a shortish swing & a couple of years ago I was fitted for a Devotion8 x in an attempt to reduce spin - I had been using a 8.5* R9 Supertri but moved on to a D3 9.5* with a Kiyoshi 75x - I then tried an AXE Tour 7+ in Stiff which worked well (better stats than the Kiyoshi) but I always felt I could do better (typical ho) - I also increased loft to 10.5* in my D3 - A few months ago I decided to try a lighter shaft & heard great things about the Miyazaki shafts - I decided to buy a Cleveland TL310 10.5* & pull the shaft (much cheaper than buying the shaft on its own?) - I love this club! - I have gained 10-20yds & have hit it in the winter where my previous drivers would be in the summer - I don't hit it offline either, which had always happened when I had tried lighter driver shafts - So in summary, maybe worth trying a lighter shaft & more loft? - Good luck ... Paul

[CHRIS509]

Hi Paul,

You make some valid points, I've tried going heavier and stiffer into an X and have never really warmed to either with the Ho in me always wanting more.

The next experiment if their is one after the Anser will be going light. The myazaki shafts are top of the list. Are the stock Cleveland shafts the real deal and of a high quality, I know they own myazaki but that's no guarantee of quality of a mass produced shaft.

It's good hear of another “old codger” still searching for the magic, we might get slower but we never loose our spirit.

Cheers Chris

[PaulBoy]

AFAIK the Miyazaki shafts in Cleveland woods are the real mccoy - I'm sure if that is wrong someone will be along to correct me - I have the 59x C Kua which is just over 60g in weight - It is the first light shaft I have ever been able to really go after & not spray all over the place - I have a pal I play with on a regular basis who used to outdrive me by 10yds & now I outdrive him by 10yds! - Whether that is all the shaft and/or the TL310 head I cannot say, but it certainly performs well for me - I am told the 61x Kusala is even better but haven't sought one out to try (yet!)
Cheers ... Paul

[Redneckgolfer54]

I've always had a really high launch that just falls out for the sky I started playin the ball back in my stance just a hair and it has helped a lot

[CHRIS509]

[quote name='Redneckgolfer54' timestamp='1366586465' post='6889497']
I've always had a really high launch that just falls out for the sky I started playin the ball back in my stance just a hair and it has helped a lot
[/quote]

Thanks for your reply, I've tried various ball positions to combat my launch/spin problem and came to the conclusion that using these good but band aid solutions would hurt my swing/ game in the long run. I can hit 250 yrd-ish stinger with my driver if theirs a good head wind but that's only as a last resort.

I'm greedy, I want to stand up and just hit a standard drive with reasonable launch but low (2000ish) spin, pretty much as my standard shot.

A thought about your problem, it sounds like you don't create enough spin to keep the ball in the air and moving the ball back helps you achieve that. I could be totally wrong so don't take my word for it.

Thanks again, Chris

[Lord Helmet]

When I take my driver stance, I put the ball smack in the middle then drop my front foot back just a hair, opening my stance a touch. This, along with the 44" shaft, does wonders for my driving game. Nice mid-flight ball, straight as an arrow when I am hitting it well. I also play with a very neutral grip. Takes the hook out of the equation and I have a positive feel that I can really go after the ball in this setup. If I miss it a little, I get a baby fade. If I really go after it I can turn it over and get a small draw, but nothing out of control.

G luck!

[8thehardway]

I don't know if this will solve all of the problem but have you had the lofts verified? Based on articles I've come across there's a fair chance your last five drivers had lofts 1* to 3* higher than stated on the head. I believe you can request an actual ("handpicked") loft when ordering from Ping, and that may be true for other brands as well.

You might look into flatter lie angles, which have been creeping up as OEMs try to reduce slicing.

Finally, there's the visualization technique of a window with nine panes (large ones in my case) floating above the fairway; your current trajectory would break the top center pane and you visualize a launch that breaks the pane below.

Hope this helps.